The Details: The conditions were not so good this year with a steady light rain falling all morning. Last year’s race was held at the end of July in hot, humid, sunny conditions. Today was rainy, chilly, and a bit windy. Check out the radar from late morning and also my heart rate data … the interesting thing about my heart rate data is that it was raining hard enough that the accumulation of water disrupted my altitude readings. I overlaid last year’s correct elevation profile (yellow) on top of this year’s (orange).

Sylacauga, Alabama - Bull's Gap Time Trial Radar

2009-05-17 Bull's Gap Time Trial Heartrate Data

Low initial heart rate … cold and rainy and trying not to overcook the first climbs

Very low heart rate for how hard it felt like I was working my legs!

Ummm… not sure what happened here – I definitely tried to push it hard over the top of the climb, but I think the spikes are bad readings from the heart rate monitor

Good, high, gradually increasing heart rate all the way to the top of the climb

I was very happy with how I was able to push it all the way up the long false flat, gradual climb … little chain ring spinning 22mph all the way up the climb

I decided to attack the bottom of each of these hills on the way back to take advantage of downward momentum from the preceding downhill